1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a quick disconnect boom mount having integral fluid and electrical lines of the type used with master part transfer booms having changeable part handling spider booms.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
An example of the relevant art is the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,234, which discloses a transfer boom assembly for workpieces. The master part transfer booms and their associated spider booms are tubular pieces, having fluid passages therein, which are relatively heavy and do not lend themselves to convenient coupling. Connection of workpiece carrying spider booms to related master booms is through a sliding bracket assembly which does not couple the internal fluid passages of the master boom to those of the spider boom. Following coupling, flexible fluid lines must be used to connect the internal passages in the master part transfer boom to the workpiece supporting spider boom when fluid transfer through the internal fluid passages of the spider boom is required. Additionally, no provision is made for electrical wiring which is required to transfer electrical signals to the spider boom and associated attachments. Following coupling, electrical wiring must be wired separately to the work piece supporting spider boom as required. Such an assembly is relatively complex, expensive, and demands a great deal of time and labor for assembly. Additionally, rigidity at the point of connection is lacking, and flexible fluid hoses, which are subject to damage, are exposed to a potentially harsh environment.
The above shortcomings are addressed by the design of the present invention.